Watching the Eagle like a hawk

Wondering what’s up with the “Opening Soon” Eagle Hotel that looks a long way from opening in downtown Palmer? The Post was too. 

You may remember the story that our own Melodie Wright broke last year: the owner of Sicily’s Pizza had purchased the space on South Colony Way formerly occupied by the Gold Miner’s Hotel, which closed down in January 2008 due to health and fire code issues.

Melodie never could reach Sicily’s owner, Atli Dobrova. I struck out, too, though a nice lady with a Russian accent passed along lots of messages to another family member, Egzona. 

But based on information from the city it appears that yes, the Eagle Hotel is still under construction and no, the new owner isn’t walking away. 

Apparently it’s taking longer than expected to get the, shall we say, under-maintained building back up to snuff. 

“It’s just an old building,” said Palmer building inspector David Meneses. “It has not had tender loving care. So consequently, if you don’t repair a building and keep it up to date it takes more to get it up to date.”

Atli Dobrova and his company, AD Real Estate LLC, spent $92,500 on building alterations last year. And unlike the prior owners, AD is also current on its borough property taxes. The company paid its tax bills in 2010 and 2011 for $20,203 and $18,629 respectively. The Gold Miner’s owners owed the borough $50,000 in back taxes and owed other people, too. 

The Eagle Hotel building permit gave the building owner 180 days to start work and then as long as work doesn’t discontinue for 180 days the permit remains good, Meneses said. The company is doing general repairs like electrical upgrades and handicapped-accessible improvements, as well as more aesthetic improvements - new paint, new carpet. 

There’s even a very basic Web site - www.eaglehotel.com - that initially makes it look like things are pretty swanky inside until you realize that the room photos are probably stock and at least a little bit of the copy actually describes the Millenium Alaskan Hotel in Anchorage - views of Lake Spenard, fresh seafood at the Flying Machine Restaurant. They're still working out the bugs and probably just wanted a virtual placeholder. 

A company representative stays in touch with Meneses. He’s pretty sure AD Real Estate is just as eager to open as all the pizza-lovers and Palmer boosters who want that off-white elephant in a crucial downtown property thriving again. 

“They’re dumping a lot of money into it and not getting anything back,” Meneses said. 

-- Zaz Hollander

Fundraiser benefits paralyzed Palmer outdoorsman

Maybe you’ve seen the flyers at businesses around town or spotted one at Turner’s Corner on the way down from a spring trip to Hatcher Pass. 

The flyers describe fundraisers for a young guy named Bradley Johnson, a 24-year-old from Palmer who broke his back in a February snowmachine accident. His family hopes to pursue aggressive stem-cell treatment that could help Brad walk again.

The Post doesn't know about the rest of you, but it seems like this winter was especially hard on people who play in the snow. We heard about Bradley from friends with a broken back in their family, too. 

Here’s the rest of Brad's story, and ways you can help him get on his feet again.

Johnson knew his back was broken as soon as his snowmachine hit the windblown snow -- hit way too hard -- while landing a cliff jump at Hatcher Pass on Feb. 4. A helicopter flew him to Providence Alaska Medical Center. Doctors fused five vertebrae in his back and held his spine together with pins and screws. Brad stayed at the hospital through the month of February. 

He’s paralyzed from the waist down.

Before the accident, Johnson spent most of his time outside, hunting, fishing or riding something - snowmachines, four-wheelers, dirt bikes. His aggressive personality and gumption earned him the nickname B-Rad. His mother, Annette Johnson, makes no apologies for the way her son got hurt. 

“He’s a very aggressive snowmachine rider. He was jumping off a cliff like he had done hundreds of times before. But this one was bigger,” she said. A heavy avalanche backpack didn't help, either.

Now his gutsy attitude is serving Brad well. Generally, with a T-12 fracture like his, paralysis starts at the rib cage and includes the abdomen, leaving a patient struggling to control his torso. But within a few days of the accident, Annette said, Brad could feel his abdomen. A little while later, he could feel his hip. 

He never gave up, and always talks about what he could do rather than what he couldn’t, Annette said. That picture up top? That’s Brad -- after the accident. With his doctor’s permission, he scrambled back onto a fourwheeler, strapped on his legs with bungie cords, and got back out there. 

Brad worked construction for ASRC and CH2M Hill. He can't go back to that job, his mom said, but plans to get trained up in something involving engineering starting this fall. Most of their basic medical costs are covered or will be.


But the family needs about $50,000 for a stem-cell procedure. They don’t expect to raise it all in one fundraiser. They’re holding a taco dinner at the Elk’s Lodge on Saturday, and they’re also selling off some really cool prizes.

Johnson's parents Annette and Johnnie, with help from a remarkable array of supporters, are selling tickets for a snowmachine, a queen-size handmade quilt and a framed Fred Machetanz print, "Fishing Rights." Tickets for the snowmachine - a 2006 Skidoo Summit donated by James Bracker - are $10 each and $50 for six. Tickets for the quilt donated by Fay and Al Zimmerman are $5 and $25 for six. Tickets for the Machetanz print, with framing donated by The Gallery in Palmer, are $5 and $25 for six.

"Fishing Rights" by Fred Machetanz

Bingo Mania owner Trudy Visker is sponsoring the fundraising drawings.  The drawing will be held at Bingo Mania on Sept.1; you don't need to be present to win.  

Tickets for the fundraising drawings are on sale at the following locations: NonEssentials and Black Dog Java Joint in Palmer; Alaskan Crafters Gifts & Souvenirs and Bingo Mania in Wasilla; and Turner's Corner on Palmer-Fishhook Road. For tickets and information, call 745-3430 or 232-5180. 

The family also set up two benefit accounts:

Wells Fargo

Account Name:  Annette Johnson for the benefit of Bradley Johnson

Account Number:  9766718184

Matanuska Valley FCU

Account Name:  Annette Johnson for the benefit of Bradley Johnson

Account Number:  135887-FB

-- Zaz Hollander

Avs depart ice arena, leaving city with seats to fill

Palmer has lost its junior-league hockey team after spending $1.1 million on a major upgrade to the MTA Events Center that coincided with the Alaska Avalanche's move to the city two seasons ago.

Photo courtesy of the City of Palmer
A Zamboni smooths the ice at the MTA Events Center




 

Last month, the North American Hockey League approved the sale of the Alaska Avalanche to a Johnstown, Pa., partnership. Team owner Mark Lee didn’t respond to an interview request, but the team had logged declining attendance numbers despite two strong seasons. Lee is an investor and co-owner of the new team.

The Avalanche left Wasilla’s Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in 2010. That year, Palmer's city council agreed to arena improvements like new locker rooms, hundreds more seats to meet hockey league standards, an office and equipment storage. Some $400,000 from the Legislature helped pay for the project. Lee promised to pay the city $50,000 toward the upgrades as part of the team’s agreement with the city. 

Lee still owes the city at least $25,000, city manager Doug Griffin said this week. The team also got a reduced rate on ice time for practices and games, though the city shouldn't have trouble selling any leftover time at the popular rink. 

The city is trying to find an "amicable solution" to Lee's financial obligations, said Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson. City officials this week were looking into what Lee still owes and whether any benefits the city got from the team might offset what’s owed. 

Hockey team or not, the city is still hoping to finish the project that started with the arrival of the Avalanche. 

The team's departure comes even as the city waits on another $725,000 in state funds to finish the third phase of the MTA center expansion. 


Officials last year requested another $500,000 from the state to install an elevator, generators, complete an outdoor canopy and increase arena seating to 1,100. Now that the Avs are gone, it seems the legislative appropriation would be moot, right?


No, city officials say. The upgrades to the arena weren't just for the team, Johnson said. The improvements also benefit future users of the soccer fields outside. The 3-year-old fields still need to green up and aren't playable yet - maybe by late summer, the mayor said - but once they are, players and fans will be able to access locker rooms and restrooms. The mayor also hopes to host future Palmer High School graduations at the arena.


And there's a new emphasis on a potential emergency-response role for the center that comes with a bit of an ick factor. 


A few months ago, the city council amended the description of the center's expansion plans to include emergency response.


On the recommendation of the office of the late Rep. Carl Gatto, the city in February changed its state capital request to include $225,000 for a backup generator, bringing the total request for the MTA center to $725,000.


The city in March adopted a resolution revising its description of the MTA expansion: “As the City becomes more aware of what community assets are needed to address major disasters and emergencies, it has become apparent that the MTA Events Center could fulfill a specific need for the Palmer area as an Evacuation Staging Point, Logistical Supply Staging Area, or Mass Fatality Storage and Processing Facility.”

"Mass Fatality Storage and Processing Facility"??? Yikes. Let's hope that need doesn't arise any time soon.

Barring disaster, the city is working to diversity the uses of the arena. Coming this Friday, May 12: roller derby. The Denali Destroyer Dolls take on the Rage City Rollergirls, with doors opening at 6 p.m. In another upcoming, albeit much more tame event, the city will hold a "Capital Project Fair" from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on May 18 at the center.

The mayor said she's confident the arena will continue to serve the public. The loss of the Avs contract bothers her less, she said, than the loss of the "community-building" that accompanied the team's presence in Palmer.

"It bothers me more to lose the enthusiasm. People came in and were excited about having a home team," Johnson said.


-- Zaz Hollander

The message on the Web site of the Junior "A" hockey team
formerly known as the Alaska Avalanche. The new owner
has yet to pick a name for the Pennsylvania-bound team.

Goodbye snow, hello litter!

Photo courtesy Mat-Su Borough
Trash dragged from the trees awaits pickup
during a recent community cleanup.

Snow is mostly gone and that means the detritus of fall and winter is making itself hideously evident. Our neighborhood’s public spaces are littered with blown-around cardboard boxes, gritty food wrappers and two seasons’ worth of litter. Thank goodness it’s clean-up time!

The city of Palmer is expanding its cleanup day into a whole week this year, giving residents more time to gather things up.

Ailis Vann, administrative assistant and cleanup coordinator at the city, said the expanded cleanup event this year accommodates people who wanted to pitch in but weren’t able to do so on a Saturday. Several had asked for a different day or expanded time, she said.

Fans of the post-cleanup barbecue, don’t fret – there will still be grilled dogs and treats available on Saturday for the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce cleanup day.The Palmer Chamber asks volunteers to sign up by 9 a.m. at the pavilion across the street from the library. Meet back at 1:30 p.m. for the free lunch. Children taking part will be eligible for great prizes, including six bicycles from Palmer retailer Backcountry Bike and Ski. Valley Center for Recycling Solutions and Ready Recycles will also be there, with bins where recyclable litter can be turned in.

For those who want to clean up their neighborhood during the week, Vann said residents could stop by Palmer Public Works at 1316A S. Bonanza St. during business hours to pick up the big yellow ALPAR cleanup bags. Litter pickers can drop full bags off at Public Works throughout the week, or save them up and haul them over to the downtown pavilion on Saturday.

One of the most exciting changes this year, Vann said, is that the city will also be collecting yard waste – leaves and grass clippings – which will be taken to Palmer hay and sod seller Country Garden Farms, where it will be turned into compost.

Residents can bring bags full of yard waste (a small amount of animal waste is not frowned upon but please remove non-biodegradable trash from the bags before delivery) to a big, Tyvek supersack at Public Works. Vann said people bringing yard waste should be prepared to dump their bags out, not just toss the bags in the supersack, as plastic sacks don’t degrade.

For city residents on the trash pickup route, Vann said the yard waste drop-off is a great deal. Drive around neighborhoods in town and it’s easy to find garbage bins by the curb with a small pyramid of bagged yard waste stacked to the side. The city charges $2.50 per bag extra for the additional trash and most of it doesn’t belong in a landfill, she said. And the city has to pay to get it there in the garbage truck.

“It’s a super-easy way to save money for us and for the consumer,” Vann said.

Palmer isn’t the only place looking trashy these days. Communities outside the city are cleaning up too. Here's a list of community council cleanups, and contact info for anyone who wants to take part.

-- Rindi White

Palmer summer camps

School lets out in about three weeks. At my house, the glut of sudden free time is great...for about three days. Then the wiggles move in to drive every adult within range absolutely nuts.

The solution? Camp - day or sleepaway. The Palmer Arts Council and Trailside Discovery out at Spring Creek Farms both offer a nice variety this year. The PAC's lineup is here, but below are a few highlights:

Summer Theatre Academies, hosted by the awesome Annie Williams at Sherrod. Annie's been the ringmaster of these day camp/workshops since they started several years ago. The home base remains Sherrod Elementary, where for two week intervals, students memorize, perform and block around three complete plays. At the end of the session, parents are invited to a stage production. Last year, my daughter participated in a June session with Annie and had a total blast. If your child loves to ham it up in front of a crowd, check this out. Tuition runs between $275-300 per session.

Misty Holler, art teacher at Academy Charter School, heads up these one-week sessions where students get to sculpt, paint, draw and otherwise feed their artistic souls. The group also explores the area around Academy on daily hikes, and learns from local artists who guest teach.

For the musically inclined, check out both the Summer Youth Band, directed by PJMS music teacher Matt Swalling at PHS, and the Percussion Camp. Dr. Meggie Aube hosts a five-day intensive workshop for all things drum-like, which results in a set at Vagabond Blues. The band performs at various summer venues, including the Governor's Picnic and Palmer Pride lunch. A Junior Band program is new this year for middle school students interested in keeping their skills strong.

New this year is a theater camp for high schoolers. Brian Mead and Grant Olson - Colony High and PJMS teachers respectively - have teamed up to offer older teens a chance to develop some acting skills. This summer-long program will be punctuated by two or three public performances. Enrollment is limited.

For kids ages 4-13, Trailside Discovery - hosted by the Alaska Center for the Environment -  is hosting week-long day camps that begin June 4 and conclude August 6. From a wildlife safari to Dinosaurs, Volcanoes and Quakes to a survival challenge, these camps are outdoor oriented and intensive. Kids ages 9-13 are invited on a few overnight camps, including a river float and backpack trip or a visit to the Knik River glacier. Almost all my children have participated in these day camps, which are great for learning and exploration. I'm looking forward to sending my youngest there at least a few times this summer.

So what about you? If you know of any Palmer activity for kids this summer, share them in the comments!

--Melodie Wright

Trunk Road clearing generates ire ... and free firewood

Anyone who drives Trunk Road can see the state's progress on the second phase of a $35 million project to widen and straighten that narrow, twisting route. 

A swath of birch, spruce and cottonwood disappeared virtually overnight within the past few weeks as tree-munching machines cleared the Trunk Road right-of-way ahead of the summer road construction season.

Drivers can also see numerous homes formerly screened by forest until a few weeks ago.

"They've ruined my land. They've ruined my house," said Trunk Road resident Linus Mathis IV. "I'm all for improvements, but I'm not for them doing it at my expense."

Mathis has some serious complaints about the project that he's still pursuing and we won't get into here. But on a basic level, he's upset with the extent of the right-of-way logging. His two young children don't have a forest buffer between the yard and the road any more, he says.


Those types of issues with the extent of clearing were addressed in an earlier right-of-way acquisition phase, said John Waisanen, project engineer for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. 


Tree-clearing during the first phase of the Trunk Road realignment project also drew criticism, transportation officials say.

"Clearing is frequently a phase of a project that engenders the most negative public response," said Transportation spokesman Rick Feller. "When phase one of Trunk Road was done, there was a large hue and cry about the level of clearing. That turned out OK as well."

But the recent clearing resonates with people for positive reasons, too.

Scores of intrepid locals brought out chainsaws to load pickups with free firewood. One weekend, it was like a long, narrow tailgate party out there as woodcutters pulled over every few feet, some with dogs or children in tow ... wearing ear protection and staying at a safe distance, of course. Get it while you can -- those nice fat birch logs seemed all but gone by this week.

Karen Harris runs a bed and breakfast along the section of Trunk Road that opened last year. 

Harris said her big-picture response to the project is "I love it."

Her reaction upon seeing all the trees coming down a few years ago, though, was more like, "OH NO!"

Harris said the state didn't do anything wrong in her case, but she didn't take the time to walk her property with project managers, and ended up surprised at the extent of the clearing.

These days, she said, she's happy to have unobstructed views to the Chugach Mountains.

"It was a huge blessing in my life and for my business. There were a couple shockers and I think it's the kind of thing where bureaucrats think they're being very communicative and showing their little diagrams. For us who have never been through something like that, there are unanticipated questions."

The state will hold a construction kickoff meeting on from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. May 1 at Mat-Su College. For more information about the Trunk Road project, go to http://www.trunkroad.com/



In the interest of early warning, road work on Palmer-Fishhook Road this summer that will close the road for several days at a time during June and July. To make up for some wetland destruction as part of the Trunk Road project, the state's construction permit requires the old culverts get replaced along Carnegie Creek and Wasilla Creek - a popular local swimming hole with a rope swing over the water that was lost to tree clearing this month.

The closures are scheduled to take place June 18-20 at Carnegie Creek and June 25-July 1 at Wasilla Creek. A lengthy detour will route drivers down Seldon Road to Wasilla-Fishhook.

-- Zaz Hollander

City mourns loss of its go-to guy, Rep. Carl Gatto

Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer

State flags across Alaska flew at half-mast Wednesday in honor of Palmer-based Rep. Carl Gatto, a Republican who represented Palmer in the Alaska Legislature since 2002.

Gatto, 74, died April 10 in Washington state, where he was being treated for a kidney condition. Gatto had for several years battled prostate cancer. He recently took a break from the legislative session to receive radiation treatment for tumors and, after heading back to Juneau, was flown to a Seattle-area hospital for treatment for dehydration and a kidney condition. His chief of staff told Associated Press reporters last week that it appeared unlikely Gatto would return to Alaska before the end of session.

Gatto chaired the House Judiciary Committee and pushed this year for a bill to ban texting while driving, a measure that stirred a little controversy. But locally, he was known more for the hard work he put in on several sizable projects. 

Last fall, Gatto was one of several dignitaries who spoke at the grand opening of Mat-Su Senior Services Center, the new and spacious senior center in Palmer. Seniors in Palmer had been working on getting a new building for nearly 20 years but Gatto put the project on his top priority list for the state budget for five years running. He did so after visiting the center and literally cringing at the cramped space and piles of paper files that occupied nearly every corner of the building. A former Anchorage Fire Department chief, he said the building was one giant fire hazard, in addition to being too outdated to meet the various and many demands of Palmer’s growing senior population.

Another project Gatto championed was the new, broad thoroughfare that is Trunk Road. The project to widen and straighten the narrow old road had languished on state Transportation project lists for years. Gatto, who lived on the road, was familiar with its failings. An avid runner, he had a cadre of horror stories to tell about being forced off his path by drivers zooming around its twists and turns.

Gatto championed many projects but Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson said she would remember him for his unfailing support for the city fire department. When a new piece of equipment – and none of them are cheap – was needed, Gatto was the city’s go-to guy. In fact, Johnson said she’s a little worried the city’s top capital project, a new fire tanker and roof replacement for the city fire station, might get lost in the legislative shuffle without Gatto there to shepherd it through. It’s a big-ticket request, $780,000, and Johnson said she hopes it won’t be forgotten. She and city manager Doug Griffin were headed to Juneau for a session-end lobbying trip this week to make sure that and other city requests are on legislators’ minds.

Johnson said she felt Gatto did a great job keeping in touch with community needs and representing the city at the state level.

“He was always visible in the community, we were always able to talk to him,” she said. The news of his passing, she said, was not unexpected given his recent health battles, but it was a tragedy nonetheless.

Palmer City Council members passed a resolution Tuesday night honoring Gatto for his service. City leaders meant to give it to him in celebration of his retirement – he had announced he would not seek another term in the House earlier this year. But with his passing, the council felt it important to mark his “unwavering support” to the community.

Here's the proclamation the city passed:

-- Rindi White